John Andrew Millar was a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 politician of the Liberal Party

New Zealand Liberal Party

The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...

 from Otago.

Born in Jalandhar

Jalandhar

Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, he came to New Zealand in 1870. He was a Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Port Chalmers

Port Chalmers (New Zealand electorate)

Port Chalmers then Chalmers was a parliamentary electorate in the Otago region of New Zealand, from 1866 to 1938. It was centred on the town of Port Chalmers, the main port of Dunedin and Otago.-History:...

 in the 12th parliament 1893–96, for the City of Dunedin

Dunedin (New Zealand electorate)

Dunedin or the City of Dunedin or the Town of Dunedin was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand. It was one of the original electorates created in 1853 and existed, with two breaks, until 1905. Most of the time, it was a multi-member electorate.-History:From 1853...

 in the 13th, 14th and 15th parliaments 1896–1905, for Dunedin Central

Dunedin Central

Dunedin Central was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890 and 1905 to 1984.The electorate was represented by nine Members of Parliament:* Thomas Bracken 1881-84 & 1886-87* James Benn Bradshaw 1884-86...

 in the 16th parliament 1905–08, and for Dunedin West

Dunedin West

Dunedin West was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, in the city of Dunedin.-Population centres:The electorate is urban, and comprises a number of suburbs in the west of Dunedin.* -History:...

 in the 17th & 18th parliaments 1908–14.

He disagreed with some Liberal policies, but did not join the New Liberal Party

New Liberal Party (New Zealand)

The New Liberal Party of New Zealand was a splinter group of the original Liberal Party. It was formed at a meeting in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui in June 1905 by two Liberal-aligned independents who sought a more "progressive" policy than that followed by the Liberal leader, Richard Seddon,...

 group in 1905.

He was the Minister of Railways

Minister of Railways (New Zealand)

The Minister of Railways was the minister in the government responsible for the New Zealand Railways Department 1895–1981, the New Zealand Railways Corporation 1981–1993, and New Zealand Rail Limited 1990–1993...

 from 1908 to 1912.

In 1912 he was spoken of as a successor to Sir Joseph Ward

Joseph Ward

Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...

 as leader of the Liberal Party. But he did not stand in the ballot of 22 March when Thomas Mackenzie

Thomas Mackenzie

Sir Thomas Noble Mackenzie GCMG was a Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in London....

 defeated George Laurenson

George Laurenson

George Laurenson was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for in the South Island.-Member of Parliament:George Laurenson represented the Lyttelton electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives for fourteen years from 1899 to his death in 1913...

 (22 to 9) as he was not supported by Labour members of the caucus, although he had support from "arbitrationist" unions. So in July he appeared in the House to help turn out the Liberal government ... ill, pyjama-clad, consumed with the desire to destroy the government that he had not been permitted to lead.

He was appointed to the Legislative Council

New Zealand Legislative Council

The Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...

in June 1915, but could only attend the one meeting to be sworn in before his health failed him.